Whispers
by Aria Illusine
Summary: AU ItaSaku set in feudal Japan, The first time he saw her she was five and he was seven, and even at that age he knew that he was pledged to her. Itachi visits Sakura to speak to her in whispers at night by her bedroom window.
1. Chapter 1

Yeah...the ItaSaku muse is at it again....slave driver...

I tried writing this piece in a slightly different style than what I usually use, hopefully it turned out okay. This is also supposed to be a short-ish chapter fic because I'm trying to wrap it up in 3-5 chapters as opposed to the...uh...12-20 I envision for Belonging or Gift. Please review if you liked it ^^ Gah I'm late to school...

Disclaimer: No I don't own Naruto...

Summary: A young Itachi pledges his loyalty for the princess he has fallen in love with at first sight, and visits her unseen at night to talk to her and keep her company. She has never seen him and has no idea who he is, only that he is her friend...set in feudal Japan.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**Whispers  
**

**Chapter 1: Lullaby**

The first time he saw her she was five and he was seven, and even at that age he knew that he was pledged to her.

A tiny vision of spring in midwinter, she floated more than walked beside her mother and brother through the thoroughfare. He was captivated; to him they were two stones in the flowing stream of temple goers, he observing and she merely being observed. She was unconscious to his regard for her, but it was that quality perhaps that drew him, her bright laughter sounding over the chatter as clear as a bell.

"Okaa-sama, who is that girl?"

His mother glanced to him, beautiful, serene dark eyes sparkling with a glimmer of surprise at her eldest's forthright question. Childish, innocent, and bold, it was almost nothing like his usual speech, and she scanned the temple walkway in search of what had made her son talk so.

Bright kimono shone like butterflies; her breath stalled in her lungs.

"A fortunate omen, I hope," she breathed, her features softening as she caught sight of the endearing view. "It is great good luck to have seen Konoha's heir, Naruto, and the little hime-sama, Sakura, on new years' day. Hopefully it will mean our standing at court will change soon…."

The seven-year-old grew silent, lowering his eyes from the joyfully childish face of the realm's princess. The Uchiha family's disgrace would keep him far from the tiny princess; he wouldn't even have a chance of passing her in the palace halls for they were housed at either end of the vast compound that was the royal residence.

"Who, nii-san? Who are you looking at?" his little brother asked, impetuously tugging on his haori sleeve.

Itachi hoisted his brother's five-year-old weight in his arms, squirming to catch a glimpse of the girl who tugged her blond brother's arm and laughed as she pointed to the ravens flying above the temple gateway.

"The pink-haired girl, nii-san?"

"Aa, Sasuke-kun."

"She's really pretty."

A softness filled Itachi's eyes as he let his brother down, the expression hidden in Sasuke's dark sable hair.

"Aa, she is…"

He was seven and she was five and without having even exchanged a word, he had vowed to serve her. Her status as Konoha's young hime-sama, his family's disgrace in court, he wouldn't let either stand between his loyalty for the girl who drifted through the streets like a petal of her namesake on the wind.

* * *

She shone in the window, haloed with a corona of candlelight, whispering quietly as her mother pulled a brush gently through her shoulder-length pink hair. There was a downcast tint to her verdant eyes that she hid with quiet chatter, leaning into the brush strokes with catlike enjoyment.

He was frozen outside her window, hidden behind a maple besides the opening, cloaked by darkness.

He'd willfully lost his way in the compound that night, hoping for this very situation, and as the girl kissed her mother goodnight, he found himself without words as he watched her.

Her quiet, melancholy sigh broke the still night, constricting his throat.

"Are you unhappy, hime-sama?"

She gasped; he could hear the rustle of her silk yukata, and see the surprise that flittered over her face from his perch within the maple branches where he had somehow migrated to in an effort not to be seen.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" she demanded, glaring as fiercely as a five-year-old could, into the moonlit gloom outside her window.

"I…I would rather not," he replied, angry with himself at his little slip. He hadn't meant to speak.

She seemed to ponder this a moment before she spoke again, "Are you a ghost then? I will try not to be frightened…"

"I am not a ghost, just a…friend."

"A friend without a name?"

"U-Heiwa," he corrected quickly. The thought that his hime might feel less willing to speak to him knowing he was an Uchiha was enough to give him reason to speak a false name, though he disliked deceiving her.

"Heiwa? Peace?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in curiosity.

It was his favorite word, something to hope for within the turmoil of the clan's disgrace at court.

The girlish face dimpled in a smile. "I like it."

Even in the cold of a winter night he felt warm at her words.

"This is…fun," she whispered, so quietly that he almost didn't hear it. "Much better than being lonely…"

"Are you lonely, hime-sama?"

A pink blush deepened her pale cheeks, making her look quite rosy in her cream-hued yukata. She scooted closer to the window as she lowered her voice until it was a conspiratorial whisper. "Sakura is going to be going to bed by herself starting tonight," she told the chilly darkness. "I'm a big girl, and Okaa-sama is visiting Otou-sama at night but…" The blush deepened. "It's still a little scary." She giggled. "Not as much because you're here to talk to me."

"I am happy to have helped," he answered, heart pounding from her earnest words.

She gave a little laugh, the sweetest he'd ever heard, and yawned. "Will you sing me a lullaby?" she asked, silken fabric rustling as she got to her feet and padded over the tatami mats to her futon.

"I…I d-don't know any," Itachi stammered, embarrassed. Sitting hidden in the branches of the maple by her window, he had forgotten the imperative to be quiet during their conversation. Her suggestion reminded him of it clearly now.

"Please, Heiwa-kun?"

He caved. He couldn't have denied the girl anything.

M-my okaa-sama taught me one…when I was little," he confessed. "But I don't know all the words…."

"S'okay," she told him sleepily. "We can make up as we go…"

"Okay…"

Trying to remember the soft words his mother had whispered as he drifted off to sleep when he was younger, Itachi let his gentle, boyish soprano fill the quiet night.

_In the midst of winter,_

_Under cold and snow,_

_Lives the heart of springtime_

_That soon begins to grow._

_*  
_

_As the sun grows warmer,_

_As the days grow long,_

_Know that I remember,_

_How you sang to me this song._

_*  
_

_When it comes the springtime,_

Itachi swallowed a gasp; she was singing, her soft voice molding with his as the solo became a duet.

_All is lovely green,_

_My thoughts of you turn dearer_

_And I'll wonder where you've been._

_*  
_

_As the sun grows warmer,_

_As the days grow long,_

_Know that I remember_

_How much you loved this song._

There was more, at least two more seasons' worth, but Itachi couldn't remember them, the words only vague sounds in his mother's voice floating through his mind.

"Sorry Heiwa-kun, I don't know any more…."

"I'm sorry too, hime-sama, I wish I could remember the rest for you."

"But it's o-okay," the girl mumbled, stammering on a yawn. "I'm sleepy and not scared…"

"Aa, sleep, Yuuki-hime," he said quietly, trying not to disturb her.

"Yuuki? As in courage?"

"Aa, because my hime is a brave girl to sleep by herself."

Her little chuckle was steeped in sleepiness. "I've never had a special name like that," she murmured, almost asleep. "It'll be our secret…"

As he crept away from his icy perch, it was as if he couldn't feel the winter cold, though he was numb and aching with it. His only thought was that he would visit her again, soon.

* * *

Yup, I did it again ^^ I used "heiwa" Itachi's favorite word, to represent him in some way =P it's seriously getting to be a favorite of mine too.

Sorry if the lullaby didn't suit you ^^; I'm not much of a song writer...and it wasn't my best poem. Keep in mind, it IS a lullaby for little kids. It isn't the whole thing though and I'll be posting up the rest of the song in a later chapter.

Now...I'm late for school and am gonna run, but I hope you liked it and please make the ItaSaku muse happy by giving the authoress review cookies with comments ^^


	2. Pinky's Oath

Ahahaha...it's so short...^^; I wish the chapter was longer but chapters of Whispers seem to be on the short side compared to my other fics =P

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for giving this fic a chance and kindly posting reviews to keep me interested in finishing this story! This chapter's especially for you guys! And now, as I try really hard not to fall asleep...I hope you'll really enjoy this next chapter, seeing the dichotomy of Sakura's reaction to Itachi as opposed to Heiwa-kun...and this is JUST THE BEGINNING XD

Disclaimer: Not my characters...so sad...

Enjoy!

* * *

**Whispers**

**Chapter 2: Pinky's Oath**

"Sakura-chan?"

The rose-haired girl started, the brush in her hand smearing a wide streak of ink against the delicate scroll lying open across the lacquered desk before her.

"Ah sorry!"

She tried to laugh with her usual carelessness, but the sounds stuck in her throat. "It's okay, Naruto-kun, it was only practice," she reassured her brother, accepting his affectionate embrace. Messy golden strands tickled her cheek as her younger brother by nine months and heir to the throne of Konoha apologized into the shoulder of her kimono.

"Are you worried, Sakura-chan?"

"Worried? What do you mean?" she asked, a little too quickly. It had been a week or so since Heiwa-kun had first visited her but there had been no subsequent nighttime conversations. The aspen-leaf eyes glanced to Naruto's innocently curious face and away.

"For the Uchiha clan heir."

Sakura glanced at her brother curiously though a curtain of silken rose-petal hair. "Is there something about Uchiha-san that is worrisome?" she asked, childish face confused.

"Okaa-sama has been busy lately because Uchiha-san is _deathly ill_," he said, accentuating the last words with boyish excitement at the thrill of using such a dire term. "He has…nu..nu…"

"Pneumonia?" Sakura supplied as she began to clean off her brush.

"That's it," Naruto replied, his sky-blue eyes bright. "The Uchiha clan is afraid he won't make it."

Sakura shook her head, rosy tresses spilling over kimono-clad shoulders. "That's silly, Naruto-kun," she told her brother with utter confidence. "Okaa-sama has never lost anyone. Okaa-sama is the greatest healer in all of Konoha, so Uchiha-san won't die."

She crumpled the ruined scroll and discarded it, pulling out a fresh one to work on. "Now help me with this…."

Naruto scooted closer to hold the book of poetry his sister had been copying out of. "Ne, Sakura-chan, but what if Uchiha-san does…you know…."

"He has a younger brother," she said simply, brow furrowing as she tried to copy down the intricate characters in the book. "The court will be sad but it won't be the end of the Uchiha clan."

Catching a glimpse of her brother's large-eyed expression, Sakura flashed him a bright smile. "But it doesn't matter, because it won't happen, remember? Now hold still."

The golden-haired five-year-old wrinkled his nose and turned the slim volume upside down, laughing.

"Naruto!"

* * *

It hurt to breathe. Each breath funneled frigid air into his lungs, making them ache as he rose through levels of sleep to consciousness.

"Nii-san?"

Itachi coughed, wincing as his chest protested the action. The heavy weight of thick blankets pressed against his slim, boyish form as he struggled to sit up.

A warm hand gently pressed him down into the futon again. "No, Itachi-kun, don't try to get up yet."

"Okaa-sama?" he murmured, chest aching.

The serene, smiling face of his mother appeared above him as she leaned down to brush his sweat-damp hair from his eyes. "You certainly frightened us, dear one," she told him. "You were in some danger for a while."

"I'm so glad you're okay, Nii-san! I thought you'd never wake up!"

Sasuke's warm little body flopped straight onto Itachi's stomach, causing the older boy to wince and laugh. "I'm glad to be awake too," he confessed.

"Come now, Sasuke-kun, let's not crowd your brother," their mother admonished with a relieved laugh as she gently drew her youngest away. "He will have to stay in bed for quite a while."

Itachi flinched, pressing a hand to his side against the pain that blossomed there from his surprised gasp. "Will I have to stay in bed for long?" he asked, struggling harder to sit up than before.

"Yes, Itachi-kun," his mother said with serious obsidian eyes. "You've had a very severe case of pneumonia. You shouldn't be leaving bed for another month at least."

Distress flitted through his eyes, so fast that she almost thought she imagined it.

"Itachi-kun?"

"Yes, Okaa-sama?" he replied softly, dark-onyx eyes downcast.

"Is something troubling you, Itachi-kun?"

He shook his head. "No, Okaa-sama," he lied. "I only wanted to know how long I've been asleep."

"Nine days, Itachi-kun," she told him, her eyes sharp. This time her son's dismay was unmistakable.

"Oh…" Midnight-jet orbs fluttered closed. "That's…longer than I thought."

"Even you cannot think to be cured of pneumonia in a day," his mother teased gently, her fingertips warm against his fever-flushed cheek. "Not even if the queen herself came to heal you."

Itachi's eyes widened. _Sakura-hime's mother?_

His mother's beautiful face was a picture of quiet pleasure. "Even though you came down with pneumonia this year, perhaps seeing Sakura-hime on New Years' was indeed a blessing. The queen would not visit a family she felt would be disgraced forever…" She absentmindedly stroked her eldest's cheeks as he and Sasuke watched her, curiosity filling their young faces.

"Okaa-sama?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing, Sasuke-kun," she said, teasing a lock of Sasuke's unruly hair. "Come on, let's let your brother get some rest?"

"But…" the five-year-old protested.

"I don't want you to get sick too, Sasuke-kun," Itachi said kindly, his face crinkling into a smile. "I promise I'll visit you as soon as I'm healthy."

"Okay, you promised!" Sasuke said as Mikoto laughed and led him out.

Itachi eased himself into a more comfortable position under the covers, trying not to wince as he laughed. "And I need to get better quickly, Sasuke-kun," he said as cheerfully as he could, darkness sucking him down into unconsciousness once more.

_For the family…and to see Sakura-hime again…_

_

* * *

  
_

The chill of February was less prevalent than the icy cold of the first month, still cold but not enough so that he would suffer another bout of illness. The weeks had dragged on endlessly until Itachi felt strangled by the need to be free of his room, and now, several weeks later, he had been deemed completely healthy.

His first order of business had been to see his princess again.

The night was cloying and dark as he made his way silently through the courtyards around the palace. Ice cracked quietly underfoot.

Once more she was a blazing shine of pale skin, hair like her namesake, eyes like two warm pools of viridian beauty…that flickered to the window and away, glimmering with a taste of longing.

A thrill chased through his heart at the thought that she might have missed him during the month and a half long absence since their first conversation.

"Hime-sama."

"Heiwa-kun?" the whisper was soft and hesitant but eager, as if she were too afraid to hope.

"Good evening, Yuuki-hime," he replied with a gentle smile, knowing that here beside her was where he needed to be.

"Heiwa-kun…"

He wanted to reach out and touch the young five-year-old whose keen eyes scanned the darkness, take her hand or perhaps brush his fingertips to her cold chilled cheek.

"You were…gone for so long…"

"I'm sorry, Yuuki-hime," he apologized, guilt welling inside him. He knew that he could not have gone to see her sooner, but her whispered words were filled with such restrained sadness that he wished he could have braved pneumonia a second time for her. "I wished to return sooner but…"

She shook her head, verdant eyes gleaming as she attempted to smile. "Sorry, Heiwa-kun, I was being selfish. I'm glad…" her lips trembled sweetly, "I'm glad you came back again."

Unspeakable feelings welled up in his chest. "I…"

"Hime-sama."

Sakura's pale cheeks darkened in a way that made the hairs on the back of Itachi's neck rise. Flicking an apologetic glance to the window, she turned away to face the door with a subtle rustle of silk.

"Yes, Kakashi-san?"

"You are up late," a young man spoke quietly through the sliding door.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-san," she replied quietly, cheeks warm. "I will sleep soon."

The shadowy figure on the other side of the screen nodded. "Very well, Sakura-hime. Please do not stay up too late."

She smiled her most girlish smile, even though the recipient couldn't see her through the delicate rice-paper dividers. "Yes, of course, Kakashi-san. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, hime-sama."

"Yuuki-hime," Itachi murmured, hating that he could see the sense in the mysterious Kakashi's advice. Sakura's eyes were slowly beginning to flutter softly as she sat beside the windowsill. "I believe your Kakashi-san is correct. You should go to bed soon."

"So soon?" she asked unhappily. "But you…" Her expression grew determined. A small hand reached out the window into the night. "I'll wait for you to return another time…so promise me you'll come back." Her pinky extended out in the moonlight.

Itachi's midnight-onyx eyes widened, surprised by the gesture. "But Yuuki-hime…"

"I know it's a very serious oath," she admitted, emerald eyes growing downcast. "If you swear a pinky oath, if you break the oath then the other person takes your pinky as payment for your broken promise…but I won't break it. You'll see."

And though she couldn't see him, he nodded, sealing their bargain. He extended a hand, pinky-outstretched, through the gloom of night. "I swear on my pinky that I will return to you, Yuuki-hime, as often as I can, as far as that is physically possible for me."

Sakura nodded in agreement, crooking her own pinky in promise. "And I swear, on my pinky, that I will trust you to return again, and will wait for you as long as I can, Heiwa-kun."

Itachi's heart pounded as he, too, crooked his pinky to secure the pledge. "I will honor my oath with you always, Yuuki-hime."

Her sweet smile in the window almost overwhelmed him. "As will I."

* * *

Ehehe hints of KakaSaku?! Perhaps...perhaps...poor little seven-year-old Itachi-kun...he doesn't even know nineteen-year-old Kakashi yet and he already dislikes him XD I may torture those two a little further with this tiny triangle...

We shall see ^^

I hope you enjoyed this chapter; please review, I love hearing what you guys thought about the fic so far! And now...seriously...bed.


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